Wherever Home Leads You
by Forevermore Love
Summary: Billy Hargrove is ready to leave Hawkins. He needs to get back to California, his home. But what if home isn't a place, but a person? And what if that person comes to Hawkins? Will he stay?
1. Chapter 1

_California, October 1984_

 _The smell of smoke and the cool breeze of the night woke her up from her slumber. Opening her eyes she looked towards her bedroom window to see Billy, smoking the last of his cigarette in only his white briefs._

" _Hey stranger." Her voice was quiet, but she got his attention nonetheless. Billy turned his head towards her as he put the cigarette out, his blue eyes shining in the moonlight that was coming through the open window, a sad smile on his face._

" _Hey babe." He closed the window and sat down on the edge of the bed, reaching for his jeans._

" _Wait, you're leaving already?" She scooted towards his bare back, pulling the sheet around her naked front as she leaned against him._

" _Bryce, if I don't leave now, I won't be able to leave at all." He couldn't look at her, if he did, he would start crying, and he'd be damned if he let her see how much he really cared. How much he loved her._

" _Billy, don't you dare shut me out now, not when we only have a few short hours left together," Bryce shook her head, her brown hair brushing his back, "Babe, stay, just a few more hours. Please?" She wrapped her arms around his bare waist and let the sheet fall as she kissed his shoulders._

 _Billy sighed, enjoying the feeling of her lips on his skin, groaning when her teeth nipped at the dip between his left shoulder and neck._

" _You still want to leave?" Bryce teased when he put the weight of his back on her chest as he relaxed against her._

" _You know I don't. But I have no choice babe," He sat up, looking at her over his shoulder, her green eyes glistening with unshed tears, "Bryce, please. Please don't cry, I-" He didn't finish his sentence, instead he kissed her._

 _The kiss was rough and needy, both putting in every unsaid word that they felt. Billy slowly laid Bryce onto the messy sheets, his hands roaming her naked body as his lips moved down her jaw to the crook of her neck. Bryce's arms wrapped around his neck, slender fingers tangling in his long hair as he kissed down her stomach._

" _God I love you." Billy breathed out, not realizing he had said the words out loud._

" _You- you love me?" Bryce smiled, tears threatening to fall. She had wanted to hear those three words from him for so long._

 _Billy rested his forehead on her stomach, wondering if he had made a mistake in telling her how he felt mere hours before he would be leaving her for god knows how long._

" _Of course I do, how could I not?" He replied seriously as he wiped away her fallen tears._

" _I love you too, so fucking much." Bryce pulled him into a kiss, her hands heading towards his briefs._

 _Their tongues battled for dominance as he quickly got rid of the little amount of clothing he had left. Billy's fingers played with her slit as he lined up his throbbing member with her slick entrance, becoming one with her for the last time. Bryce moaned in ecstasy as he filled her completely, hooking a leg behind his back for a deeper angle. This time was different than before. Before was rough and needy, full of tension and anger at the fact he had to leave. This time, Billy was going slow, like he wanted to memorize the feel of being inside her, like her wanted her to never forget him._

 _Yes, they promised that they would reunite after graduation. He would come back to California for her, but deep down he knew that she would find someone else, someone better than him, and with how his dad was, who knew if he would even survive to graduation. All he knew is he had to leave the girl he loved to go to some shit town in Indiana, god he wished he was 18 so he could stay with her._

" _Billy, baby you need to go faster." Bryce groaned out, she could feel her orgasm approaching._

" _As you wish." Billy kissed her roughly as he picked up the pace, his fingers finding her clit to speed up the process._

 _He pulled her up into his lap as he held her close, hitting her sweet spot every time he thrusted up into her. He was close, but he wanted her to come first, she was his priority. She always was. Bryce grasped onto him, her head in the crook of his neck as she came. Her walls clenching around him pushed him over the edge, coming inside her as he laid her back down on the sheets. He held her there as the aftershocks of her orgasm rocked her body for a few moments after._

" _Fuck." Billy breathed as he rolled off her and looked over at her heaving chest._

" _Yeah." Bryce lightly laughed before getting out of bed._

" _What are you doing?" He questioned as she walked over to her desk and opened a drawer._

" _I have something for you, a goodbye present." She replied as she pulled a box out and walked around the bed to lay next to him as he opened it._

" _Oh yeah?" He smirked as he wrapped an arm around her waist as he opened the box._

" _I hope you like it." She said nervously, they had never given gifts to each other._

 _The gift was a St. Christopher pendant. Billy held it gently in his as he looked at it. Looking over at Bryce, he saw that she was biting her bottom lip, a thing she did when she was anxious._

" _Bryce, I love it." He kissed her tenderly, she smiled widely into the kiss. Ecstatic that he approved of the gift._

" _I'm so glad, I got because it kind of has a special meaning to it. People give it to loved ones when they go on a long journey, so that the person that gave them the pendant is always close to the heart." Bryce explained, voice cracking at the end._

" _Hey," Billy kissed the top of her head, "You will always be close to my heart, hell you are my heart."_

" _I just don't want you to forget me." Bryce smiled as she took the necklace from him, motioning him to sit up so she could put it on him._

" _Babe, you're unforgettable."_

 _Billy looked over at her alarm clock on her nightstand, he was leaving in two hours. He sighed as he pulled her in for one last kiss._

" _I have to go. I still have some packing to do and my dad will kill me if I'm not done." Bryce nodded in understanding, swallowing down the lump in her throat._

" _Be nice to Max." She said as he stood to pull his jeans up, his bare back tensing at the name of his step sister._

" _What?" Anger dripped in his voice. Turning to look at her, he saw that she had thrown her light blue nightshirt on that he had ripped off her hours prior._

" _Billy, this isn't her fault. She's losing a lot too don't forget, treat her right please. For me?" Bryce stood up and walked around to his side of the bed and wrapped her arms around his naked waist._

 _Billy looked down at her, hating how she cared about his step sister. She was too good, too good for him._

" _Yeah well, we'll see how it goes. How does that sound?" He smirked, trying to make her smile before the inevitable tears came._

" _You're an ass Billy Hargrove." She lightly punched his chest before bending down to pick up his gray t-shirt._

" _Yeah, but you love me." He smiled before throwing the t-shirt on._

" _Yes, I really do." Bryce chocked, trying not to cry in front of him._

" _Hey shh, come here," Billy wrapped her in his arms, holding her as she sobbed into his shirt, "I'll be back before you know it." He promised, holding her face in his hands, wiping her tears once more._

" _No," She shook her head in disagreement, "You're gonna meet someone and forget all about me."_

" _That's not possible, don't you ever think that." He said sternly, making sure she believed it._

" _Promise?"_

" _Promise." Billy pulled her into a kiss one last time before pulling away and opening her bedroom window. He turned to look at her one last time, taking in her small frame, her long brown hair that never stayed curled in the California heart, her bright green eyes that he had fallen for the first time he looked at her freshman year._

" _I love you Bryce." His voice cracking for the first time in front of her._

" _I love you too Billy." She followed him to the window and gave him one last hug before he jumped to the tree that was right outside her window._


	2. Chapter 2

Hawkins, Indiana

June, 1985

 _Mornings were for coffee and contemplation, and with his coffee in hand, Jim Hopper contemplated two things; was it worth it to come into work this morning and was it worth it to give the daughter of some old friend a summer job?_

* * *

One year. Billy had been gone for a year and it killed Bryce everyday that she hadn't heard from him. She distracted herself, she joined a sport, got a job and saved up enough money to buy a car. Her parents didn't approve, they thought she was better off, but she was determined to get to Hawkins, to Billy.

Her parents only agreed because her dad was friends with the police chief of Hawkins. Before living in California, her family lived in New York. Her dad got close with his partner, Jim Hopper before her dad got a job offer that he couldn't refuse. Jim promised to keep an eye on Bryce and he gave her a job at the station since his secretary had retired the month before.

"So it's a pretty quiet town, couple of drunken idiots come in here and there but other than that it's a very low stress job." Hopper explained as he showed Bryce around the station.

"So I basically just have to make you coffee and answer phones all day?" Bryce joked

"Yeah pretty much," Hopper chuckled, "Where are you staying?" Jim asked the teenager

"Oh, just the motel down the street for now. I'm gonna try to save enough up for a place to live." She explained.

"No," Jim shook his head, "You'll stay with me. I have an adopted daughter named Jane, she's been through a lot, so maybe having an older sister type around might help."

"Are you serious?" Bryce asked, hugging him when he nodded in affirmation.

After getting settled and shown how to work the station phones, Bryce got her first phone call. A group of teenagers were getting drunk in an alley, causing a disruption to the businesses around.

"Boys, I think you can handle this one." Hopper nodded to his two officers, Powell and Callahan.

The two departed, leaving Hopper and Bryce alone

"So what happens now?" Bryce asked curiously

"Well it depends, if whoever it is fights back, then they have to bring them in. Usually just telling them to knock it off works, but it depends on the group." Hopper explained gruffly. It was too early for this, he was in no mood to deal with asshole punks today.

Half an hour later, the station doors opened up with screams. Hopper came running out of his office as Powell and Callahan brought in the two perps, along with a group of young kids screaming at the officers about what had happened.

"Okay, everyone QUIET," Hopper yelled at the group of six, they all quieted immediately, "Now, what happened?"

"Billy hit Steve with his car!"

"It was Billy!"

"He's being an ass again Hop!"

"Mouth breather"

All responses came out at once, some of the kids said the same thing; But it was clear to Bryce, Billy was causing trouble.

"Uh Bryce, can you get some ice for Harrington? His head hit the ground pretty hard." Powell said as he brought in a boy with dirty blond hair, a brunette boy walking behind him, blood dripping from his forehead.

"Yeah of course." Bryce nodded slowly, as she went to the freezer to pack a towel with ice.

"Bryce? Is that you?" Max Mayfield asked, smiling when Bryce turned around to look at the redhead

"Hey Max." She opened up her arms to the young girl who sped towards her, hugging her tightly.

"It's so nice to see you!" Max exclaimed

"I wish it would've been a better reunion." Bryce nodded towards her old flame, who was getting questioned by Hopper in the corner.

"He's been like this ever since we moved here, he almost killed Steve in November." Max explained as Bryce handed the makeshift ice pack to Steve Harrington

"I'm guessing you're Steve?"

"Yeah, thank you." Steve replied as he took the ice pack and laid it on his forehead, hissing at the contact.

Bryce look over at Billy, his head was down but she could see a fresh black eye and that his hands were bloody.

"Did you give him that black eye?" Bryce didn't want to seem so concerned but she couldn't help it.

"Uh hello, he almost killed Steve, who cares if he has a black eye?" A curly haired kid spoke up

"Dustin," Steve gave him a look, "No, I didn't give him that. He already had it." Steve explained.

"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Bryce." She held out her hand to Steve

"It's nice to meet you," He shook her hand lightly, "I should introduce everyone, this little shit is Dustin," He pointed to the curly hair boy that snapped at her earlier, "This is Will, Mike, Jane, and Lucas," He pointed at each kid as he introduced them, "And it seems like you already know Max?" Steve questioned

"Uh yeah, I'm from California. I uh, I used to date Billy, I'm sorry, you're Jane?" Bryce questioned the curly haired girl standing between Mike and Lucas.

"Uh, yeah?" Jane was confused

"Jim's daughter?" When Jane nodded, Bryce smiled, "I'm gonna be living with you for awhile." Bryce explained

"Wait, he told you?" Steve interjected in shock

"Told me what?" Bryce asked curiously

"Steve! Party members only!" Mike screeched

"Mike, if she's living with them-" Lucas tried to reason before Mike interrupted him

"She's fraternized with the enemy, we can't trust her!" Mike shot back in response

"Excuse me? Max lives with him, is she not a 'party member'?" Bryce glared at the raven haired boy

"That's different!"

"Oh yeah?" Bryce crossed her arms with attitude, already growing to not liking the supposed leader of the group.

"Max stopped her asshole brother from killing Steve, she earned her place." Mike glared back.

"Mike, enough," Hopper ordered at his daughter's boyfriend, "Bryce, you said that you dated him?" Hopper nodded towards Billy

"Yeah."

"Well good, maybe you can get him to talk," Hopper suggested, irritation dripping in his voice, "And patch up his hand will you?" Bryce nodded at his orders, going to grab the first aid kit and a pack of ice for his black eye.

"Max? Can you come here?" Bryce beckoned towards the redhead

"What's wrong?" Max asked worriedly

"His dad gave him the black eye, didn't he?" Bryce questioned, Max nodded

"They got in a really big fight last night. Neil was really drunk, mom tried to stop him but once he gets going there's no stopping him sometimes." Max exclaimed as she rung her hands together.

"I remember." Bryce replied sadly, remembering all the nights Billy snuck in through her bedroom window as a way of escaping his father's horrible temper. The only reason they were dating is because in a pain induced sleep, Billy asked her to be his girlfriend and to never leave his side. Bryce sighed, gathering the supplies in her arms to head over to Billy.


	3. Chapter 3

"Billy?" Billy's head snapped up when he heard her voice.

"Bryce?" He breathed out, looking up at her like she wasn't real.

"Hey stranger," She pulled a seat up to him and opened the first aid kit on her lap. Reaching for the ice pack, she handed it to him, "Put this on your eye. I'm sure you didn't do anything about it last night when he gave it to you." Billy looked at her surprised

"How-"

"Max told me you and your dad got in a fight last night." Bryce explained as she pulled out some cotton balls and poured peroxide on them to clean up his hand.

"Just like old times," Billy tried to joke, wincing when the cleaner came in contact with his split hands. He cleared his throat as he watched her face, he didn't realize how much he had actually missed her until she was in front of him, "What are you doing here?" He questioned

"I told you I would come here after graduation, remember?" She smirked as she grabbed the gauze to wrap his hand.

"I- I just thought you would find someone better." Billy whispered, not wanting anyone else to hear him.

"Hell no," Bryce shook her head as she finished the wrap, "So, I hear you tried to kill that Steve guy over there? Why?"

"Jesus Max! Keep your damn mouth shut for once!" Billy yelled at his step-sister.

"Knock it off Billy." Bryce said coldly before anyone else could say anything to the young man. Billy threw his head back in annoyance, trying to calm down.

"You know Bryce, you haven't been around lately. I'm different now, I don't need your fucking help anymore." Billy stood up, walking past Bryce like she didn't matter.

"Billy-" Bryce didn't know what to say to keep him to stay so they could talk. He _was_ different, that much was certain, but she couldn't understand why.

"Hargrove. Steve isn't pressing charges _this time_ but you need to knock it off. I mean it." Hopper warned sternly before letting Billy walk out of the station.

Bryce went over to put the first aid kit and unused ice pack back where they belonged as she watched Max putting a band aid on Steve's forehead.

"Max, what the hell is wrong with him?" Bryce questioned, wanting to know what had caused Billy to change so drastically.

"What do you mean what's wrong with him? He's always like that." Steve chided as he cleaned his scraped up hands. Bryce shook her head at him.

"No, he's not. He can be a jerk yeah, but he's never been violent like this. Okay yeah, he's gotten into fights at school but what boy doesn't?" Bryce defended, not wanting to believe Steve.

"Bryce, he's been like that since we moved here, he's always angry. I don't know what else to tell you." Max explained sadly, knowing how much Bryce wanted Billy to be a good guy.

"Hopper, can I take my lunch break early?" Bryce asked, silently hoping he would agree.

"Yeah, go ahead. One hour, got it?" Hopper pointed his finger at her, making sure she understood.

"Thank you." Bryce bolted out the doors, racing after Billy.

* * *

Billy slowly pulled his car keys out of his jeans pocket, wincing at that pain when the gauze pulled at his injured hand. Getting in the car and starting the engine, Billy looked up and saw Bryce storming towards his car. Sighing, he sat there until she got in the passenger seat to yell at him. Just like old times.

"What in the hell is your fucking problem?" Bryce demanded, glaring at the boy next to her.

"You want a list?" Billy replied sourly

"Billy."

"Bryce."

"You know what, never mind, you're not worth it." Bryce started to get out of the blue Camaro until Billy gently grabbed her wrist.

"I'm sorry." He said quietly, looking at her back as she sat there for a moment before closing the car door.

"What is your problem? Huh?" Bryce pleaded

"I missed you." Billy admitted

"I know you did, I missed you too. But why in the hell are you trying to kill people? Steve doesn't seem like a bad guy, those kids adore him." Bryce reasoned

"My dad. He got in my face that night, Max was missing and he wanted me to go find her but I had a date and thought that a 13 year old shouldn't need a babysitter," Bryce listened to him explain like always, trying to ignore the part about him having a date, "I made a comment about her not being my sister and well, that always sets him off. It wasn't that bad, I mean, he's been worse about it. But I was thinking about you, wishing that you were the date instead of whoever the hell it was and then he got in my face and I just snapped. I found Max in the middle of nowhere with Steve and those kids and I went after Lucas, I told her to stay away from him-"

"Why?" Bryce interjected

"Why what?"

"Why did she need to stay away from Lucas? It better not be what I think it is Billy." Bryce shook her head, hoping he wasn't that low of a person.

"No, well yes but it's my dad. If he found out about Max being friends with him, he'd go crazy on her." Billy explained

"Did you tell Max this?"

"No."

"Did you tell Lucas?"

"No?"

"So you told Max to stay away from the black kid, and when she didn't, you tried to beat him up?" Bryce remarked

"Yes." Billy replied through gritted teeth, knowing where she was going with this.

"Billy," Bryce put her face in her hands, "Do you even realize how bad this has made you look? Why couldn't you just explain things to Max and Lucas?"

"I wasn't thinking okay," Billy threw his head back in frustration, "I've been in misery without you babe."

"Oh, so this is my fault now?" Bryce snapped

"No, I didn't- I didn't mean it like that, I just mean- I mean that I've lost my mind not being with you. You helped me keep my head on straight, I've been so angry, at everyone and everything. You were my escape and I didn't have you there." Billy looked over at her, she was biting her lip as tears rolled down her face.

"I get that, but you could've called, you could've wrote. Billy, you still had me, even though I was in California, you still had me." She insisted, squeezing his hand tight.

"No, Bryce. You deserve better than me, and you know that. You needed to forget about me, you shouldn't even be here." Billy argued back as he shook his head.

"What are you saying?" Bryce questioned, not sure if she wanted to know the answer.

"You need to go back to California."

"What? No, I got this job with Hopper so I could live here with you." Bryce fought back.

"Well then, stay. But don't come looking for me, because you're better off without me and you need to forget about me, about us." Billy swallowed hard as he looked out the windshield, avoiding her hard stare.

"You don't mean this." Bryce shook her head in disappointment, somewhat not surprised that he was blocking her out. He had done this before, but he always came back; apologizing profusely and saying that he was an idiot for thinking he could be without her. The longest he went without her was a day, he showed up outside her bedroom window the next night, promising to never do it again; she knew it was bound to happen again eventually.

"Yeah. I actually do this time. Now go back to your dear chief and _stay away from me_." He replied roughly, anger rising in his eyes. She had seen him angry before, it was nothing new to her. She had talked him down out of fits many times in the past, but his anger had never been directed at her before. It scared her, it made a cold chill run down her spine; and she was not willing to risk arguing with him, she knew better than that.

"Okay, fine. I'll leave you alone. But when you realize how badly you fucked up by pushing me away, I won't be there waiting this time. I'm staying in Hawkins, but I'm not staying for you." With that, Bryce got out of the blue Camaro and headed back to the station to work.

Once she was around the corner, only then did Billy let the tears fall. He didn't want to push her away, he wanted to hold her and never let her go. But it was for the best, she was better than him. She _deserved_ better than him, much better.


	4. Chapter 4

Summer passed in the blink of an eye, before they knew it, Mike and the party were starting high school. Bryce had come to learn all about the Upside Down, Hopper and Jane explaining everything to her the first night she stay with them. There wasn't much for the secretary of Hawkins PD to do, not many crimes were committed and nothing weird was going on since Jane had closed the gate. Bryce's job was mainly checking if there were any calls in the morning, if there were, she would stay and keep Hopper updated. If there wasn't anything by lunchtime, Hopper would let her go home, telling her he could handle it for the day. She would usually end up having to take Jane to someone's house or to the arcade where all the kids hung out. When she wasn't busy doing that, she was usually with Steve. Bryce had tried to get Billy to talk to her all summer, but to no avail. She eventually gave up and when Steve asked her out two weeks before school started, she happily agreed.

* * *

The first weekend of the school week, Max was planning on having a sleepover with Jane. Steve and Bryce drove the girls to the arcade for the night to hang out with the boys. Deciding to get dinner at Benny's Diner before heading to movie theater. But they never made it to the movie, their date was cut short by the kids finding them at the diner and trying to squeeze all six of them into the small booth that Steve and Bryce were occupying. Bryce finally suggested the kids move to the big booth in the corner, smiling at Steve brightly as the kids ditched them for their own booth.

"I'm sorry they ruined the night." Steve said sheepishly, embarrassed by the group.

"They didn't ruin anything, they love you to death. I think it's sweet how you're willing to take your time to be with them." Bryce replied honestly.

"Yeah well, they're pretty great kids. They've definitely grown on me," Steve smiled, looking behind him at the group, Mike and Jane were sharing a milkshake as Dustin and Will threw fries across the table at each other, "I meant to tell you, I joined the Hawkins Police Academy. I'm going to be a deputy for the city." Steve told her proudly.

"No way. Steve, that's awesome!" Bryce exclaimed happily.

"Yeah, Hop wants a guy on his team that knows about all the crazy shit that's happened and I guess I'm the guy." Steve shrugged.

"I'm so proud of you." Bryce smiled, leaning over the table towards him.

Steve leaned towards her as well, ignoring the ringing bell above the door as he captured her lips.

Billy walked into the dinner, seeing Steve Harrington leaning in towards an all too familiar brunette, kissing her gently. He stood there and watched as they pulled away, Bryce was smiling, he knew her well enough to be able to tell from even behind her that she was. Bryce leaned over the table once again, kissing Steve with more want. Billy looked away as he saw Steve's tongue slip into her mouth, wishing it was him that was kissing her. He sat down at the bar and ordered a soda and fries, looking past the happy couple he saw Max, she was with her normal group of friends. Sighing he looked back at Bryce, he could tell that she tried to curl her hair, no matter what she did it always end up going back to her straight locks of golden brown. She was wearing a white dress with flowers on it, she looked beautiful; and god did he miss her like crazy, his heart ached for her.

She knew he was there, she didn't have to look over at him to know it was him. She heard his car pull up, smelled his cologne when he walked past their booth; she had only seen him a couple times while dropping Max off at the arcade, he never looked at her like she secretly hoped he would. It killed her to realize that he truly wanted nothing more to do with her, but she was determined to move on and forget Billy Hargrove ever existed.

Billy finished up his drink and food, paying for it before getting up and going over to Max to see if she needed a ride home; he didn't want to come back here later to get her, he didn't want to have to see Bryce with Steve again either.

"I'm actually spending the night at Jane's, Steve and Bryce were going to give us a ride back to Jane's house." Max told her step-brother awkwardly, she knew he would eventually find out about Bryce seeing Steve; but she didn't want to be around for his inevitable outburst.

"Okay, call me if you need a ride home."

"Why are you being so nice?" Mike shot out at him, still not willing to forgive him for almost killing Steve and Lucas.

Bryce looked over at Billy talking to the kids as Steve went up to the cash register to pay for everyone's dinner. Getting up from the booth, she headed over to Steve.

"Hey, I'm gonna head to the restroom before we leave." She informed him before walking towards the ladies room.

"Sounds good." Steve replied as he shoved his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans. Looking over at his 'kids' Steve saw Billy talking to them, he hesitated before walking over to his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend; he wanted to make sure he wasn't giving anyone a problem.

"What's going on here?" Steve looked at Dustin, he would be able to tell if there was an issue right away from one look from the curly haired boy.

"Nothing Steve, Billy was just asking me if I needed a ride home." Max explained smiling, trying to diffuse the tension. She knew Billy had seen Bryce and Steve kissing, she was nervous for the outcome.

"I was just leaving Harrington. You better take care of her." Billy sighed as he turned to go.

"Since when is he so concerned about you?" Steve asked Max as he watched Billy head towards the door.

"He wasn't talking about me." Max exclaimed, giving Steve a look.

Just then, the decorations on the wall started to shake rapidly, the kids plates shook and they heard glass breaking from the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Jane asked worriedly

"Everyone get under the table, it's an earthquake!" Max yelled as the shaking intensified.

"Under the-" Lucas started

"Lucas shut up, this happens in California all the time, now under the table!" Max yelled at her boyfriend, Steve dashed under a booth to the side, grabbing Dustin and Will seeing that all six wouldn't be able to fit under the table.

"Wait! Where's Bryce?" Will screamed at Steve over the loud sounds

"Shit."

Billy was opening the door of the diner to leave when he saw the rocks shaking on the ground, turning around, he saw the glasses in the kitchen falling to the ground crashing loudly.

"Everyone under the table, it's an earthquake!" Billy heard Max yell to her friends. He saw Steve grab two of the kids as Max flew under he table with Lucas, Jane and Mike Wheeler.

"Where's Bryce?" He heard someone yell at Steve.

"Fucking hell Harrington." Billy spat as he ran towards the bathrooms. He saw Bryce with the bathroom door propped opened with a chair, standing under the doorway.

"What the hell are you doing?" Billy screamed as he grabbed Bryce's hand and dragged her into the bathroom.

"You do realize that was probably the safest placed right." Bryce shot at him  
"Yeah, when it's a small one. This one isn't." Billy threw her into the handicapped stall at the end of the bathroom, locking the door securely before he sat behind her huddled form in the corner.

"What are you doing?" She questioned as he pressed his chest to her back

"I'm keeping you safe, something your boyfriend doesn't know how to do." He snapped back at her as the roof of the diner collapsed around them.

The last thing Bryce felt before her world went dark was Billy's head burying into her neck as he whispered a barely audible "I love you." as a giant piece of the roof fell on top of the pair, knocking them both out.


	5. Chapter 5

Steve stood up from under the booth once the rumbling stopped and the dust started to settle. Making sure the kids were all okay before looking out the broken windows at the aftermath of the earthquake.

"I'm sorry, but when the hell does Indiana get earthquakes?" Dustin screamed as he helped a shaking Will stand up steadily.

"I'm not sure, we need to go find Bryce though." Steve replied as he headed towards the bathrooms.

* * *

Bryce woke up with a nagging pain in her head, feeling a large bump on top of her head forming. She looked down at her dress, now covered in dark gray dust. Sighing she looked around at the ruins of the building, out of the corner of her eye she saw a hand on the ground, it all came flooding back to her. The date with Steve, heading to the bathroom, the quake starting, Billy-

"Oh my god, Billy wake up," She called out to him as she pushed large chucks of fallen ceiling off of hi, "BILLY! I swear to god Billy wake up." She shook him roughly, but he was knocked out, his head was bleeding near his hairline.

Standing up she grabbed under both of his armpits and started to slowly drag him as much as she could. He was a lot heavier than he seemed, Bryce groaned as she dragged on, tripping and falling over debris on to her back.

"Fuck." She started to feel like she was going to cry. The thought of not being able to get Billy out of there scared her to death, she couldn't leave him.

"BRYCE!" Steve yelled

"Steve! I'm in here, we need help!" She stood up one more time, grabbing Billy to drag him towards the door once again.

Steve and Max ran in to the bathroom, seeing Bryce attempting to drag Billy through the rubble.

"Holy shit."

"What happened?" Max yelled, worry evident in her voice.

"I was leaving the bathroom when the quake hit, Billy ran back here and shoved me in a stall. He saved me." Bryce sighed as Steve grabbed Billy from her.

"Why isn't he waking up?" Max questioned

"He hit his head, and there was a bunch of shit on top of him. We need to get him to a hospital, and soon." Bryce wrapped an arm around Max, happy that she seemed unscathed from the incident.

"We need to call someone," Steve murmured as he looked at his girlfriend, "Bryce, you have a huge cut on your leg." He nodded toward the back of her left calf, a deep cut running down the center, a trail of blood heading towards her ankle.

"It's okay, we need to worry about him." Bryce replied as she helped Steve carry Billy to a booth.

"What happened to him?" Lucas questioned as two cars pulled up to the building

"Will?!" Came the yelling voice of Joyce Byers, behind her was Hopper; along with Will's brother Jonathan and Mike's sister Nancy.

"Are you guys okay?" Hopper asked as he pulled Jane into his arms.

"We need to get Billy to the hospital, he's not waking up." Bryce pointed to her former flame laying in the booth.

"Okay, is anyone else hurt?" Hopper questioned as he motioned to Steve to help him pick Billy up.

"Bryce's leg is cut pretty badly." Steve replied

Steve I'm fine."

"Bryce, you are not fine honey. You need to get this checked out." Joyce spoke up.

"Okay fine. I'll get my leg looked at." She sighed as she sat in the booth across from Billy's unconscious body.

* * *

"Just try to take it easy the next two weeks while the stitches are in." The emergency room doctor explained as he wrote Bryce a prescription for pain medication.

"Thank you." Bryce thanked as she stood up from the bed as she grabbed the piece of paper.

"What's the verdict?" Steve asked as Bryce walked out of the room and hugged him.

"I'm gonna have an ugly ass scar on my leg the rest of my life once these stitches come out." Bryce murmured into his chest.

"Ooh yeah I don't do scars." He joked as he smiled down at her, kissing her gently. Bryce giggled into the kiss, happy he was no worse for wear.

"Do you know how Billy is?" She quietly asked, knowing it looked bad to be concerned for her ex.

"He hadn't woken up last time I was over there, we can go check though." He suggested, taking her hand in his as they walked towards the staircase.

"Actually, I'm so exhausted. I just want to sleep. I can come here tomorrow, and you need to get some rest too, it's been a long night for you too Steve. Let's just go home." She sighed, grabbing his hand to head towards the exit.

"Are you sure?" Steve questioned, excited that she wanted to leave instead of seeing Billy.

"Yes, and I'm sure Hop is going to be gone all night because of the quake, why don't you just spend the night?" Bryce smiled coyly.

"I love the sound of that. Let's get out of here." Steve smiled as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

The repetitive noise of the monitor is what woke him from his cloudy haze. Feeling something in his nose, he scrunched it a few times to relieve the irritation. Reaching for it, a hand grabbed his before he could take the oxygen tube out.

"Shh, you need to leave that in. You inhaled a lot of dust, the doctors wanted to take precautions." Susan quietly explained as Billy blinked at her.

"Where is she?" His voice cracked from hours of not being used.

"Max is okay, shaken up a little but she wasn't hurt." Susan smiled sweetly.

"No," Billy shook his head, a searing pain making him see white, "Where's Bryce?" He questioned as he tried to get out of bed.

"Billy, you need to stay in bed-" Susan explained

"I need to find her. I need to know she's safe." He argued back as he threw the oxygen tube off to the side.

"Hey! Listen to Susan and get back in that damn bed before you do further damage." Neil Hargrove spat out at his son, not an ounce of sympathy in his voice.

Billy slowly got back into bed, he was in no condition to fight his father, that much he knew.

"Susan," Billy's voice cracked once more, worry evident in eyes, "Can you please go find her, make sure she's okay? Her last name is Rollins, Bryce Rollins. Her middle name is Grace. I- I don't know if she got out or not, please?" Billy begged as tears rolled down his face, he didn't even care that he was crying in front of her, or his dad. He was too worried that Bryce was in trouble, under the ruble and no one even thought to look for her. Hell, her own boyfriend was more concerned about some random kids that her.

"Of course, I'll be right back." Susan replied as she wiped his tears from his cheeks before standing to leave the room.

"Seriously?" Neil scoffed, "All those bullshit tears for some stupid slut that came here from dear California for your punk ass?" He went on with malice in his voice.

"Stop, I'm not in the mood." Billy retorted, anger boiling his blood at his father.

"So what, you two love birds gonna run away and live happily ever after?" Neil was rounding to the right side of the bed, antagonizing Billy with every word he spoke, "You know just as well as I do that she's going to find someone much better than you. Oh wait, word on the street is that she already has." He coolly chuckled at his son.

"Get out."

"You don't get to tell me what to do kid. I am your father, and you will listen to me." Neil went on.

"He said get out." Neil turned to see Chief Jim Hopper in the doorway.

"And who the fuck do you think you are?"

"I'm Jim Hopper, Chief of Police for Hawkins," Hopper replied as he looked to Billy for a moment before looking back at Neil, "Now it all makes sense, why Billy is so messed up. He has an asshole like you for a father."

"How dare you-" Neil started, face growing red at Hopper's accusations

"No, how dare you. Now listen to your son for once and get out. Or I will arrest you myself." Hopper yelled as he pointed to the door.

"Arrest me? For what?"

"Abuse." Hopper replied sternly. Neil barked out a laugh at his insinuation.

"Abuse huh? It's called discipline. Maybe you didn't get enough of it when you were a kid." Neil glared.

"No," Hopper shook his head slowly, "I got too much of it. Just like Billy has. Now get out before I arrest you. I mean it Hargrove."

Neil looked between Billy and Hopper before walking away in a dejected huff, murmuring curse words under his breath. Billy let out a shaky sigh, rubbing his face between his hands.

"You okay kid?" Hopper asked, holding his hat in his hands.

"No. I asked Susan to find Bryce, but she hasn't come back." Billy admitted his worries to Hopper easily, like he finally had someone in his corner.

"She's fine. She had a nasty cut on her leg tat needed stitches but that's all. She was more worried abut you." Hopper replied, calming his fears.

"Where is she?"

"I'm sure Steve took her home," Hopper sighed as Billy's face fell at the assumption, "Look kid, Bryce has been living with me and Jane. She's told me about you and your asshole dad, if you ever need a place to lay low, you come to me. Got it, you come to me. Don't start shit fights with Steve or anyone else, don't take it out on Max either, because I know you've done that too." He fished out one of his cards and grabbed a pen from the small desk attached to the wall and wrote down the way to the cabin in the woods.

"Thank you." Billy murmured, not knowing what to say. He didn't know if he should be mad at Bryce or grateful that she had told Hopper about what was going on.

"I'll let you rest now, take care of yourself Billy." Hopper gently squeezed his shoulder before walking out of the room and shutting the door, leaving Billy alone with the repetitive sounds of the monitor once again.


	6. Chapter 6

A soft rap on the hospital room door brought Billy back to reality as he sat on the edge of his hospital bed in his sweatpants Susan had brought him for the ride home.

"Hey stranger." Bryce smiled as she saw that he was awake, and okay enough to sit up.

"Hey." Billy murmured as he held his necklace in his left hand, debating on whether he should throw it or not.

"What do you have there?" She asked as she sat down ne5txt to him slowly.

"Um, it's the necklace you gave me. I guess the doctors took it off last night, I was just wondering if it was worth putting back on." He admitted, looking down at the pendant instead of at her.

"Why would you not want to put it back on? Do you not like it?" Bryce questioned, remembering how excited she was when she gave it to him. "I love it. It's from you," He finally looked at her, her hair was in a ponytail and she was in jeans and a simple light blue t-shirt. He swallowed hard, wishing he could lean in and kiss her, "Things have changed babe, we promised each other that once we graduated we would be together."

"Yeah and then I came to town and you avoided me like the plague." She interjected, knowing where the argument was headed.

"You deserve better Bryce, and it looks like you got that now. So why in the hell should I wear this stupid thing anymore huh? You've moved on, maybe I should to." He shrugged

"I didn't want to move on you jerk! You didn't give me any choice by ignoring me Billy!" Bryce yelled, tears forming in her eyes.

"Do you love him?" Billy stalked towards her, standing in front of her he could smell her perfume, daisies. She smelled like daisies.

"That's none of your business."

"It's a simple yes or no answer Bryce." He egged on.

"We haven't been dating that long-"

"Did you love me this early on? Hmm?" He questioned her, knowing he was getting under her skin.

"Stop." Bryce backed away, getting ready to leave.

"I'll take that as a no."

"Of course I loved you already you ass!" She screamed at him, shoving him in anger. Billy chuckled at her remark.

"That's not the question I was referring to, but good to know." He smiled smugly.

"I really hate you sometimes you know that." Bryce admitted before she headed towards the door.

"Yeah, and I hate you too." Billy threw back at her. Bryce stopped, her hand on the door before she turned back, to him.

"Yes." She replied defiantly

"Yes what?"

"Yes Billy, I do love Steve. More than I ever loved you." She stalked towards him, pronouncing every word slowly with every step she took towards Billy.

"You're lying." He swallowed back tears, his worst fear coming true.

"Am I? If I still loved you, then why did I go home with Steve and make love to him all night? Answer that one for me _bud_." Bryce exaggerated the word, knowing that's what his dad would call him at times, when he was looking for a fight.

Billy wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing into her delicately as he put his left hand in her back pocket, ignoring her protests.

"Go to hell," He whispered hotly in her ear before stepping away, "You can leave now, I don't need you here bothering me anymore." He pointed towards the door. Bryce breathed out deeply, looking at his bare back that was to her once more before quietly exciting the room.

Billy threw his breakfast tray across the room in anger, screaming profanities continuously before collapsing back into bed from the pain in his head.

Bryce silently walked towards the staircase heading towards the ground floor, not wanting to be seen by anyone in the elevator. Walking down the steps to sit down on the small landing, she pulled out what Billy had put in her pocket, it was the necklace she had given him on the morning he left. Leaning against the wall, she slowly slid down it, tears erupting from her core; silently wishing she could take all the words she had just exchanged with Billy back.

* * *

Months passed and the holidays were coming, the town of Hawkins recovered and for the most part, forgot about the earthquake. The only place that was drastically changed by the random event was Benny's Diner, Hopper figured the center of the quake must've been the diner considering thee fact the building was pretty much decimated.

One night, Bryce was in bed reading when there was a small knock on her bedroom door

"Come in!" Bryce spoke out, reading the last couple sentences quickly as Jane opened the door.  
"Am I bothering you?" Jane asked, biting her lip nervously. Bryce shook her head

"No way, I always have time for you Jane," She replied as she closed her book and put it on her nightstand, "What's up?"

"Well I need help, and I don't know what to do. But you have a boyfriend so I thought you would be able to help me." Jane explained as she climbed on to the bed.

"Okay, what do you need help with?"

"Christmas? I've been told that people get gifts for the people they love, and I don't know what to get Mike." Bryce smiled at Jane, thinking her relationship with Mike was precious.

"You love Mike? Bryce cocked her head to the side, smiling at the young girl.

"Yes," Jane smiled wildly, "Like you love Max's brother, Billy right?" Jane spoke honestly, Bryce wondered if she even understood what she was saying.

"I- I'm sorry, what?" Bryce stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"You love Billy, like I love Mike."

"Uh, sweetie, I'm dating Steve." Bryce pushed, not wanting to talk to Jane about her mixed feelings towards Billy and Steve.

"So? You don't have to be dating someone to love them, look at Hopper and Joyce." Jane shrugged, not seeing the big deal with the situation.

"It's… complicated with Billy," Bryce nodded "We were in love in California and then he moved and changed, a lot."

"Max has told me that it's because you weren't around, maybe you should try dating him again?" Jane suggested.

"I'm with Steve though Jane."

"Nancy was too, but then she left him for Jonathan, that's what Mike told me. You can leave him for Billy, and then we can do that double fun thing that people do."Jane said brightly

"Double fun thing?"

"Yeah, two couples go out together and have fun." Jane explained, Bryce laughed at the young girl.

"You mean, a double date. That would be fun, but I don't think Mike likes Billy a whole lot." Bryce sighed

"I know, but I think he'd be willing to go for you, he likes you."

"Speaking of Mike, I thought you needed ideas for a Christmas present?" Bryce questioned, narrowing her eyes.

"Yeah, what kind of gifts have you given Billy?" Bryce threw her head back and groaned

"You're relentless." Jane laughed, proud of herself.

"Well?"

"I- um, before he left California, I gave him this necklace," Bryce pulled the necklace from under her shirt, showing Jane the pendant Bryce had gifted to Billy.

"Why do you have it if it was a gift?" Jane questioned, confused.

"Well, the doctors at the hospital took it off him after the earthquake, and he gave it back to me."

"You hurt his feelings by being with Steve."

"How do you know that?"

"Because when I was hiding, I saw Mike with Max, and it hurt my feelings. I flung her off her skateboard because I was so mad." Jane remembered, sadness in her eyes.

"Oh." Bryce remarked, not sure of what else to say.

"I would do it soon though, the longer you wait the worst it'll get. That's what I've heard people say at least." Jane shrugged, climbing off Bryce's bed.

"Hey, I thought you needed my help with Mike's gift!"

"Oh yeah, I already got him something to do with Star Wars, a bunch of comics that Will suggested." Jane smiled coyly.

"You were just getting information out of me, weren't you?" Bryce shook her head, trying not to laugh.

"Isn't that what sisters are for?" Jane replied before leaving to go to bed.

Bryce sighed, grabbing her book off of the nightstand and finishing up the chapter she was on before going to bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Wow! So sorry this has taken so long to upload, I had huge writer's block for the longest time, then the trailer came out and I got to see my boy again! This story is NOT going to follow season 3 I can tell you that right now, possibly have some hints here and there tho! Thank you all for being so patient with me!**

A loud knock is what woke Hopper up at 1:30AM only a mere hour after falling asleep. Quietly grabbing his gun, he tiptoed towards the front door, Bryce and Jane opening both of their bedroom doors startled him for a minute.

"What's-" Bryce stopped mid-sentence, seeing Hopper's gun. "Jane, let's go in my room okay?" Bryce reached for the younger girl, nodding to Hopper as he crept towards the door.

"Who is it?" Hopper questioned, praying to god no one had figured out who Jane really was.

"It's Billy." Billy replied, shivering slightly in the cool air.

"Hargrove?" Hopper put his gun to the side as he opened the door to let Billy in.

"You said if I needed anything that I could come to you." Bryce recognized the voice as she and Jane pressed their ears to Bryce's bedroom door.

"Billy?" Bryce stood up, opening the door to walk out into the living room with Jane. Billy was already sat at the kitchen table, jacket off and looking right at home.

"Is everything okay?" Jane questioned, nervous about the gun.

"Yeah Jane, everything's great." Hop smiled at her warmly.

Bryce walked up and sat down next to Billy, grabbing his face to investigate the damage.  
"What? Bryce, I didn't get in a fight." Billy waved her away, her touch setting his skin on fire.

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I saw something weird. And I thought I should come to you about it." He looked to Hopper, who was watching him intently.

"What did you see?" Hopper questioned as he pulled a cigarette out of the pack that was lying on the kitchen table.

"I was out by the ruined diner with a girl," He looked to Jane as she sat down across from him at the table, kindly smiling at him. "We were making out and then there was this loud thump on the side of my car and when I looked out the window to see what it was, there was this deformed dog-like thing with a long snout outside."

"Why do you say it was dog-like, it wasn't a dog?" Bryce interrogated, wondering if his dad had knocked his head into a wall and he was making this up.

"No, unless you know of any dogs whose faces open up and have rows beyond rows of teeth."  
"What did you just say?" Hopper asked coldly, his face white with fear.

"Its face opened up and it kinda roared at me, I don't know, it happened fast. One minute it was there the next it wasn't." Billy explained.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit." Hopper stood up, pacing back and forth.

"What? Is that bad?" Billy asked Bryce as he grabbed a cigarette from Hopper's pack.

"It's very bad." Jane piped up, near tears at the realization.

"I don't- Wait, is this about the thing?" Bryce questioned.

"How, how did this happen?" Hopper asked himself, scared to death.

"Could the earthquake have awakened it?" Bryce suggested, not knowing how to fully explain it.

"No, I don't know honestly," Hop shrugged, sitting back down and putting his face in his hands, "I gotta call Joyce, I need to warn her." He stood up and headed to the phone.

"Hopper wait, it's 1:30 in the morning. Shouldn't you wait to make sure it's actually what you think it is before worrying Joyce?" Bryce stood up, taking the phone out of the chief's hand.

"Bryce, you don't understand how bad this is if the gate is opened again." Hooper gripped her shoulders tightly, scared to death of what was to come.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Billy questioned, flicking ashes into the ashtray on the table.

"It's nothing Hargrove, thank you for informing me. You should go home now, it's late. Jane, you need to get back to bed." Hopper nodded at him, ushering Jane back to bed.

"Yeah, I'll probably just sleep in my car, if my dad hears me coming in at this time he'll kick my ass." Billy sighed, pulling his jacket back on.

"What? Billy no, it's freezing out. Just sleep on the couch and leave in the morning." Bryce reasoned, looking to Hopper to make sure it was okay with him.

"Bryce-" Billy started, not wanting to piss the chief of police off.

"No funny business, I mean it, stay on the couch Hargrove." Hopper threatened before heading to his bedroom, hoping this whole night was a bad dream.

Bryce smirked at Billy with satisfaction as she headed to the hall closet to get a pillow and some blankets.

"The bathroom is around the kitchen corner," she said as she pointed down towards the door at the back of the cabin, "There's some pop or juice in the fridge, don't steal Hop's beer." She jokingly remarked as she looked at her former flame.

Billy watched her as she explained everything, still so breathtakingly in love with her.

"Thanks, babe- Bryce, sorry," He apologized as he sat down on the couch to get comfortable, "Old habits die hard I guess." He replied, looking over at her as she sat down next to him.

"Yeah, I guess they do." She sadly smiled as she tucked her legs under her and leaned on the back cushions, watching him.

He wanted to reach out to her, hold her, kiss her, do anything he used to be able to do before he left California.

"How are things with your dad?" Bryce broke the silence, wanting to know how bad things had gotten since she had last seen him.

"Don't," Billy shook his head as he avoided her gaze, "Don't do this Bryce."

"Don't do what? Worry about you?"

"Exactly. Go to bed, I don't want to talk to you about this stuff anymore, you're not my girlfriend. You're with Harrington now, remember?" Billy spat out in anger, how dare Steve get to be loved by her when she was Billy's first.

"Okay fine. Let me know if you need anything." She sighed before getting off the couch and going back to bed.

Billy sighed as he looked at her closed door before shutting the lamp off and getting under the thick blanket she had given him, it smelled faintly over her. Closing his eyes, he imagined she was in his empty arms and not in the other room, sleeping alone as well.

* * *

Whimpering from the other room woke Bryce up hours later, she lazily stretched before throwing the covers back and quietly hopping out of bed. She had suspected the whimpering was Billy, he was prone to nightmares about his father. Tiptoeing to the couch, she saw that he was sleeping soundly, probably one of the best nights of sleep he had gotten since leaving California.

The whimpering was coming from Jane's room again, she hadn't had a nightmare in months, the talk of the Upside Down being possibly open, more than likely scared her into thinking about everything she had been through at the lab.

"Hey," Bryce crouched down by Jane's bed and whispered to her, shaking her slightly to wake her up, "Hey Jane, it's okay." Bryce shook her a little harder a few more times before the young girl shot up out of bed, gasping for air.

"Hey, hey, it's okay." Bryce sat down next to her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, pulling her into her chest as Jane's body shook with sobs.

"It- It was me. I- I think I opened the gate back up." Jane sobbed loudly

"Jane, you don't know that. It was probably the earthquake." Bryce reasoned with her

"No, I was so scared. Just like last time, it was me. I felt it happening again and I couldn't stop it. I'm so sorry." She cried even harder, terrified of what was to eventually come.

"It's okay. How about we make some Eggo's and go back to bed huh? We can talk to Hop him the morning about this. How does that sound?" Bryce suggested, kissing the top of her head.

"No, I just want to go back to bed. I have a headache." Jane rejected, rubbing her eyes and temple in frustration.

"Okay, I'm gonna go grab you some Motrin for your headache alright?" Bryce replied as she got up from the bed.

"Thanks Bryce."

Bryce closed the door quietly as to not wake Billy up. Heading to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom she grabbed a pill from the bottle and then headed to the kitchen to grab a glass of water for the poor girl.

"Is everything okay?" A rough sleepy voice asked from behind her.

Turning, Bryce saw a shirtless Billy walking towards her, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Yeah, she just had a nightmare." Bryce explained as she walked to Jane's room to give her the medication.

Billy stood in the doorway silently as he watched Bryce hug Jane goodnight before heading towards him and shutting the door.

"I'm sorry she woke you." Bryce apologized, trying not to look at his half naked form.

"It's nothing, I don't sleep much anyways." Billy shrugged honestly.

"Yeah, I remember that, I'm sure you've slept better tonight though? Hopefully at least." She replied awkwardly, not knowing what to say to him.

"Well yeah, I mean the couch isn't the best but it beats sleeping in my car again." He chuckled lightly

"Why didn't you tell me it had gotten so bad?"

"I'm not you're problem anymore."

"Billy, you were never a problem, I love you. Just because we aren't together anymore doesn't mean I stopped caring about you." Bryce reasoned as she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist.

"You know I still love you too." It was the only appropriate response to her declaration as he looked down at her, he hadn't been this close to her since their last night together, he wanted to smash his lips on to hers so bad, but he resisted.

"What?"

"You said you love me."

"Oh," Bryce looked down at her feet, biting her lip as she sighed in acceptance of what she had said, "Well I guess old habits die hard." She replied as she unwrapped herself from him.

"Yeah, they really do." He exclaimed, sadly understanding why she had chosen to ignore what they had just said to each other. She was with Steve now. Even though they loved each other still, their time had passed. It was a long lost memory that they could only look back on now.

"Uh, look if you want to come and sleep in my room with me, completely platonic of course, you can. I know how uncomfortable that couch is." She smiled at him.

"That sounds nice." Billy nodded as he followed her into her room, closing the door behind him lightly. Not even caring or thinking about what consequences they would wake up to in the morning.


End file.
